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Help Wanted in Santa Clara County on Election Day

SACRAMENTO - Santa Clara County elections officials are still seeking election officers to staff the polls for the June 3 primary election, Secretary of State Debra Bowen reported today. Bilingual election officers are especially needed – people who are fluent in Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Spanish, Tagalog or Vietnamese, in addition to English.

Each statewide election requires a one-day workforce of 100,000 poll workers in more than 24,000 polling places across California. Depending on duties, volunteer election officers in Santa Clara County can earn between $95 and $180.

"Poll workers are crucial to the success of an election. They help to safeguard ballots, remind voters about their rights, ensure voters with disabilities can exercise their right to vote, and more," said Secretary Bowen, the state's chief elections officer.

"The neighborhood polling place is where communities come together to elect their representatives and ensure their voice is heard; we are in need of those committed volunteers to staff our 871 polling places with less than 11 days until Election Day," said Shannon Bushey, Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters. Additionally, supporting more languages this year means the county needs more bilingual volunteers. "We are building partnerships with more communities than ever before. If you have ever thought about being more involved with the democratic process, right now is the time to take action."

A Californian can serve as a poll worker if he or she is a registered voter or a legal permanent resident of California, or a high-school student who is at least 16 years old and has a grade-point average of 2.5 or higher.

Interested people may call the Santa Clara County elections office at (408) 299-7655 or go online to www.sccvote.org. Visit www.sos.ca.gov/elections/pollworker.htm. for more statewide information about poll workers.

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